Hon'ble PM Thiru. @NarendraModi, The GoI's auction notification for petroleum and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve...

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin dispatched an urgent official communication to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting immediate central intervention to cancel an auction notification issued for petroleum and natural gas exploration within the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve. Stalin warned that commercial hydrocarbon drilling operations within this protected marine ecosystem would inflict irreversible ecological destruction on globally recognized coral reefs and marine wildlife habitats.

The Chief Minister stressed that the proposed exploration blocks severely threaten the daily livelihood security of hundreds of thousands of traditional coastal fishermen dependent on sustainable fishing grounds across southern districts. Expressing serious concern over procedural neglect, Stalin pointed out that the Union petroleum authorities failed to conduct mandatory prior consultations with the Tamil Nadu government before publishing auction tenders covering protected coastal waters.

Stalin called upon the Prime Minister to withdraw the commercial bidding process immediately to safeguard Tamil Nadu's fragile marine biodiversity and protect vulnerable fishing communities from severe socio-economic distress. He reiterated that state development policies must prioritize environmental preservation, emphasizing that the Tamil Nadu government will vigorously defend its coastal heritage against hazardous commercial exploitation.